In a surprising turn of events, a Florida airport employee has been charged with felony theft after a passenger used tracking technology to locate her stolen luggage at the employee's home.
University student Paola Garcia's ordeal began after her March 3 flight out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was canceled. She was advised to retrieve her checked bag from the baggage carousel, but it never appeared. Despite Spirit Airlines' claim that the bag had been sent to her home, it was nowhere to be found. Determined to find her belongings, Garcia used tracking apps to ping her missing devices, revealing their location at an address near the airport.
Garcia visited the property and spotted "several pieces of luggage in the front of the home," prompting her to call 911. "The first thing ... the police told me is, 'What are you doing here? This is so dangerous for you to be here,'" she told WPLG.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office identified the resident as Junior Geneus Bazile, 29, an employee at the airport's Paradies Lagardere Travel Retail store. CCTV footage captured Bazile rolling a pink shell bag, matching Garcia's description, into a storage room and removing items, including a MacBook.
Upon learning of the theft, Paradies Lagardere terminated Bazile’s employment. He was arrested and charged with grand theft, a third-degree felony. Bazile pleaded not guilty and posted a $30,000 bond. During the investigation, his mother allegedly struck a WPLG reporter, though no charges were pressed. She claimed that the police found "nothing in my house."
Police indicated Bazile had disposed of many of Garcia's belongings before his arrest. Meanwhile, Spirit Airlines issued Garcia a reimbursement check as a courtesy.
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Photo: Getty